Drapery



Jan. 20, 1953 R, WHEWELL 2,625,689

DRAPERY Filed Dec. 28, 1950 Patented Jan. 20, 1953 DRAPERY Robert Whewell, New Bedford, Mass., assigner to Bourne Mills, Fall River, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application December 28, 1950, Serial No. 203,087

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to draperies and more particularly to improved linings and draperies embodying such linings.

Draperies for windows and like openings ordinarily comprise either two or three layers of fabric. Less expensive draperies are formed with but two layers of fabric but such draperies are not entirely satisfactory since they permit sunlight to be transmitted therethrough which reduces the brightness of the decorative design on the front face of the drapery. In order to obtain maximum brightness of the design and to produce the maximum decorative eifect, the more expensive draperies are provided with an interlining which is generally dark in color and sufciently thick to prevent transmission of light therethrough. Such interlined draperies are bulky and heavy and are difficult to assemble thus increasing substantially the cost of production thereof. Furthermore, such heavy draperies do not always drape to the best advantage.

Draperies of the type above referred to generally comprise a drapery fabric wherein at least one surface thereof is provided with decorative colors and design which may be produced by any suitable method as weaving, printing, painting or the like and a lining member, generally formed of light colored cotton sateen or twill. The lining fabric is usually colored in the lighter shades of tan or ecru in order that the face of the lining presented to the view of the passerby will not present too great a contrast to the color of the house or the trim surrounding the window opening. The interlining is disposed between the drapery fabric and the lining fabric is generally a thick material, usually cotton, which'is dark in color to provide maximum absorption of the background light.

One object of the invention accordingly is to provide a lining fabric adapted for use in draperies which will eliminate the necessity for using an interlining. l

Another object is to provide an improved drapery formed of two layers of fabric which will possess the desirable characteristics of the conventional three layer drapery while still masking the drapery fabric from background light such, for example, as sunlight.

In one aspect the invention provides an improved lining fabric for draperies having a light absorbent surface coating thereon. As illustrated, the lining fabric is provided on its back with an opaque or light absorbent coating formed of exible plastic material. As illustrated, the coating preferably comprises a plurality of layers of flexible plastic material with at least the layer adjacent to the lining being of substantially the same light color as the lining to prevent subsequently applied darker opaque or light absorbing superposed plastic layers from bleeding through and staining the front face of the lining fabric.

In another aspect the invention contemplates the provision of an improved drapery comprising a decorative fabric and a lining fabric having a iiexible opaque or light absorbent surface coating thereon. As illustrated, the drapery fabric has its back surface placed adjacent to the composite coated surface of the lining member in such a manner that the coated surface of the lining member or fabric is concealed thereby.

Drapery linings and draperies incorporating linings, constructed in accordance with the invention, are attractive in appearance and are economical to manufacture. The opaque coating on the lining fabric possesses excellent masking properties and provides considerable protection against fading of the drapery fabric, thus adding substantially to the useful life thereof. The nished appearance of the assembled drapery of the present invention is in several respects superior to the appearance of an interlined drapery since it is less bulky and heavy and possesses all of the draping qualities thereof. The cost of the composite coating is substantially less than the cost of an adequate interlining and since it is necessary to assemble only two fabrics instead of three the cost of assembling and manufacturing the drapery according to the present invention is substantially reduced.

The composite coating is water repellant and in the event of a sudden shower would protect the drapery fabric from wetting. However, although the lining is water repellant against penetration to the drapery fabric, the lining will hold a certain amount of water before water is deposited on the floor or furniture. Furthermore, the composite coating which, as illustrated, is formed of suitable resinous material such as polyvinyl chloride, is mildew proof thus adding considerably to the value and life of the drapery as contrasted with a construction provided with an interlining which may mildew upon wetting because of poor circulation of air within the finished drapery. The coating process presets the lining fabric thus making it easier to handle in cutting and stitching than the regular soft finished lining. The lining is dimensionally stable and will not Wrinkle after wetting which occurs in conventional draperies and necessitates pressing and often times cleaning. The drapery is effective not only to provide a curtain or shade against exterior light but is effective also as a black-out curtain while retaining all of the decorative value of a drapery.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a` diagrammatic fragmentary view of a lining fabric embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of a plain weave lining fabric on a somewhat enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view on a very much enlarged scale of a lining formed of sateen and having a light absorbing coating applied to its back face;

Fig. 4 is a view illustrating a drapery embodying the present invention applied to a window opening; and

Fig. 5 isa. vertical sectional view of a drapery on an enlarged scale taken along the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Draperies embodying the present invention are illustrated in Fig. 4 as overdrapes 2 which normally hang at the sides of a window fl and are supported by a usual rod 6. When it is desired to use the draperies as curtains or shades to prevent sunlight from entering the room or to screen the room from passersby, the draperies 2 are pulled together by a suitable drawstring or cord 8 thus covering the entire window opening.

The drapery 2 illustrating the present invention comprises two layers of fabric. The drapery fabric lil is preferably of the usual type and construction and is provided with a decorative surface I2y which is normally exposed to view in the room in which the drapery is hung. The

decorative surface I2 may be formed by print- Y ing colored designs thereon or by weaving designs into the body of the fabric or by any other suitable method known to the textile arts. The drapery fabric Ill is formed of any suitable woven textiler material such, 'for example, as A cotton, silk or synthetic material. The lining fabric I4 is preferably a light colored cotton sateen or twill. However, other suitable textile materials may be used if so desired such, for

example, as rayon or other suitable synthetic l fibres but it has been found that cotton is preferable since it is capable of withstanding long continued exposure to direct sunlight.

The lining fabric I4 of the present invention is preferably provided on its back or reverse face with a composite surface coating of suitable iiexible plastic material. Such plastic material may be formed of a synthetic or natural thermoplastic resin such, for example, as polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate and copolymers thereof or any other suitable flexible, plastic material such as cellulose acetate and other cellulose derivatives which can be applied to one face of the lining fabric IB and which can be caused permanently to adhere thereto.

In the specific illustration of the invention, the coating material comprises polyvinyl chloride having incorporated therewith a suitable plasticizer such as di-octyl phthalate. A thinner such as methyl isobutyl ketone or an Apco thinner (special cut of petroleum sold by Anderson-Pritchard Co. having a boiling range of 212a to 320 F.) or Toluol. Sufficient solvent or thinner is used to form a thick viscous composition which is applied to the lining fabric in a suitable spreading machine with the doctor blade adjusted so as to remove excess material from the surface of the fabric. The first coating or layer I is preferably transparent or tan or ecru colored so that it will not show through the front face of the lining fabric I4. The first coating layer IS is preferably applied in two spreading operations so that any defects in the first spreading operation will be covered by the second spreading operation thus insuring a coating or underlayer I5 which will effectively prevent subsequent superposed coatings or layers from bleeding through to the face of the lining fabric I Il. The consistency and the viscosity of the coating composition and the speed of travel of the fabric through the spreader is such that the composition will not penetrate through to the front or opposite face thereof. It is essential that the layer I8 be continuous and free from openings which would permit subsequent plastic layers from penetrating therethrough and staining the front face of the fabric.

The subsequent or light-absorbing layer I8 of the coating material is preferably dark in color so that it will absorb substantially all the light transmitted through the front face of the fabric. The coating or over-layer I 8 is formed of material having the composition of the rst layer I8 but has added thereto suitable black pigment such as carbon black, bone black or the like to form a black or dark colored material. The layer I8 is applied to the previously coated lining fabric Ill and superposed on the layer I6 thereof by passing the coated fabric through a suitable spreading machine and removing excess pigment by a suitable adjusted doctor blade in the same manner that the coating layer I6 is applied.

The plastic layer or coating I5 may be heated to drive off the solvent to provide a coherent flexible nlm on the lining fabric Ill prior to the application of the dark light-absorbing layer I3. If necessary, additional layers of lightabsolrbing material may be applied to the coating 8.

In order to improve the hand and feel of the coated lining fabric It, the coated fabric is treated in a suitable calendering machine which is effective to press the layers I3 and I8 into the recesses on the back side of the lining fabric Ill, formed between the adjacent warp and lling threads thus insuring positive bond between the fabric and the superposed layers I6 and I8.

Preferably the lining fabric Id is Sateen or twill which provides a smooth continuous surface appearance upon being nished. 'Ihese fabrics', sateen particularly, are preferred for use as linings since the front face of the materials is formed mainly of float threads, that is, filling threads which span two or more warp threads on the face of the material. Such a condition faciiitates the application of the flexible plastic coating layers I6 and I3 since the transparent or light colored layer i6 will under normal conditions fail to penetrate into any of the portions of the filling threads on the right or front face of the fabric. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention is not limited to use of sateen or twill as a lining fabric since a fabric having a plain weave such as illustrated in Fig. 2 can be used if desired. In the use of such a fabric, however, greater care would have to be exercised during the spreading operation to insure that the coating material does not penetrate through to the front face of the fabric.

The drapery 2 of the present invention is formed in the usual manner by stitching tcgether inturned edge portions of the drapery fabric I2 and the lining fabric I4 in such a manner that the back face of the drapery fabric IE is adjacent to the flexible composite coa-ted surface of the lining fabric It. Preferably the two sides and the top edge portions are machine stitched in the usual manner and the remaining or lower edge is usually hand stitched.

It is evident from the above that the lining fabric I having thereon the two fiexible layers I and I8 forms a light-absorbing coating which is substantially opaque and not only protects the drapery fabric from the effects of long continued exposure to direct sunlight, but also provides a more attractive drapery. The elimination of background light through the drapery results in increased brightness or sharpness of the decorative design on the exposed face of the drapery. Furthermore, the lining fabric I4 is effective to prevent moisture from reaching the drapery in the event of a sudden shower. While water or moisture cannot penetrate entirely through the fabric lining due to the presence of the composite coating layers I6 and I3, the fabric may still absorb a substantial quantity of water before it drops from the lower edge of the fabric and onto the oor or adjacent furniture.

While the present lining fabric I4 has been disclosed with particular reference to its use as a drapery lining it is evident that the fabric I l can be used for other purposes where a moisture or water repellent material, or where a light-absorbing substantially opaque material, is desired.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. An improved drapery for window openings and the like, said drapery comprising, in combination, two fabrics overlying each other and secured together along edge portions so that each fabric has an exposed face; one of said fabrics comprising cloth sufficiently light in color to be of substantially light-transmitting character and having its exposed face uncoated, and having on its opposite face adjacent to the other fabric a thin, water-repellent, iiexible underlayer of substantially the same color as said cloth, and also a dark colored, thin, water-repellent, flexible overlayer; said underlayer extending continuously over said opposite face and being adhesively secured to said cloth; said overlayer extending continuously over said underlayer and being adhesively secured thereto; said coated fabric being further characterized by its draping qualities, its substantial opacity, and the unchanged appearance of its uncoated exposed face.

2. An improved drapery for window openings and the like, said drapery comprising, in combination, two fabrics overlying each other, and secured together along edge portions so that each fabric has an exposed face; one of said fabrics comprising cloth sufficiently light in color to be of substantially light-transmitting character and having its exposed face uncoated and composed mainly of float threads, and having on its opposite face adjacent to the other fabric a thin, water-repellent, flexible underlayer of substantially the same color as said cloth, and also a dark colored, thin, water-repellent, flexible overlayer; said underlayer extending continuously over said opposite face and being adhesively secured to said cloth; said overlayer extending continuously over said underlayer and being adhesively secured thereto; said coated fabric being further characterized by its draping qualities, its substantial opacity, and the unchanged appearance of its uncoated exposed face.

3. An improved drapery for Window openings and the like, said drapery comprising, in combination, two fabrics overlying each other and secured together along edge portions so that each fabric has an exposed face; one of said fabrics comprising Sateen sufciently light in color to be of substantially light transmitting character and having its exposed face uncoated, said exposed face being the front face of the Sateen, and having on its opposite face adjacent to the other fabric a thin, Water-repellent, flexible underlayer of substantially the same color as said Sateen, and also a dark colored, thin, waterrepellent, Iiexible overlayer; said underlayer ex tending continuously over said opposite face and being adhesively secured to said Sateen; said overlayer extending continuously over said underlayer and being adhesively secured thereto; said coated fabric being further characterized by its draping qualities, its substantial opacity, and the unchanged appearance of its uncoated exposed face.

ROBERT WHEWELI..

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,441,665 Desmarest Jan. 9J 1923 2,231,129 Levy Feb. 11, 1941 2,292,454 Langkammerer Aug. 11, 1942 2,319,074 McGill May 11, 1943 

